Water remains my favorite and most important issue when addressing green building
concerns. It is certainly not the most important topic when looking at the
various certification checklists, like the USGBC LEED rating system. It finally
received a prerequisite in the last update, but is dwarfed in the overall point
scale by considerations for energy and materials.
Energy indeed has gotten a lot of attention in the last few months, especially the
concept of net-zero energy. The net zero concept is very appealing by taking
advantage of the existing infrastructure rather than having to create a full
independent power storage unit. Typically the consumption averages out to zero
over the term of a 12 month period.
The same concept can be used for the consumption of water; essentially creating an onsite
water filter systems. Water will not be able to quite be net zero, due to
evaporation and other environmental factors that are undoubtedly part of the
cleaning process. But a recycled water loop will probably be about 95%
effective. The remaining 5% can easily be made up by rain water or a well,
depending on the geographic location of the project.
The interesting part to me is the energy that is required to move and clean water.
By bringing this aspect of water use directly to the project, much energy can
be saved on the moving of water to and from the project and the reality of net
zero energy and water is much more realistic to attain.
Considering now, that in California for example about one third of the state’s energy is
used to clean and transport water, it does seem a little like putting the stick
before the carrot…
I am grateful to be part of a cutting research project at the University of Miami
that is addressing this very topic: The net zero water dorm. This project will
have move students into a retrofitted hall to be the live users of on-site
cleaned water – all water, from sinks, showers and toilets.
What can you do for your own project? Continue to focus on water reduction in daily
use and install conservation features in your renovation and new construction.
Dual flush toilets or even composting toilets are readily available. Low flow
shower heads and faucets are standard for all manufacturers and a rain
collection system such as simple rain barrel can be installed in any project.
Use the best suited system for water heating, be it on demand, solar or
conventional tank with a PV panel to power it. By using water intelligently,
the use of energy can also be reduced. Why not be the first house to clean your
own water?
Start your own water conserving project with www.SebastianEilert.com
Filed under: Air Quality, Building knowledge, Energy Efficiency, Hot Topic, Sustainable Living, Water Efficiency
After going over so many possible options to improve the energy efficiency for your home I find it time to put together an official weatherization package.
There are plenty of rebates currently available and even more are coming in the next few weeks and months. This is indeed a great time to look at energy improvements for your home and small business. Not just will you be able to significantly improve your operating cost, but the Government will help you pay for it. The upcoming incentives are certainly a positive aspect of the recovery act that has found its way to the end consumer.
In other posts we already looked at LED’s, appliances and general saving, specifically relating to South Florida. Please look at the “Greening your South Florida Home, Part I, Part II and Part III.
A concise Weatherization package should include at a minimum the analysis of the windows and doors, insulating in the walls and especially in the roof and attic. These simple primary starting points can lead to substantial savings in a very short time by controlling your building envelope. Energy savings do not end with the way you use your shell; it is only the beginning.
Consider additional energy and water savings with other improvements such as HVAC update and roof replacement. There are also rebates to update your water heater, dishwasher and refrigerator.
The homestar retrofit rebate package is the governments’ incentive under the Recovery act to provide partial funding for improvements for homeowner for reducing their energy bills. Regardless of this package, there are many sensible options to improve the use of energy in your home.
More information about the Homestar pacakage can also be found here.
If you need additional help and like a project specific analysis, please contact me:
Sebastian Eilert, AIA, LEED AP
786.556.3118
Filed under: Building knowledge, Resources, Sustainable Living, Water Efficiency | Tags: Landscaping, Sebastian Eilert Architecture, Water Savings
Previously mentioned in landscaping and irrigation posts, a rain barrel is a wonderful way to use some of that otherwise wasted water and reduce your potable water need for irrigation. There are some good options available for sale, but why not get creative and make it a fun weekend project to build your own piece of green building – a rain barrel.
I noticed a number of workshops for this and have myself 2 preferred sources, one of them in our backyard at the University of Florida. They have teamed up with Miami Dade County Consumer and Water Department and are going around town to show and tell how it is done.
I recently noticed them at the Coral Gables Farmers market and at the Going Green day for the Village of Pinecrest…so keep looking for them.
Painted rain barrel
TOOLS:
Electric Drill
- Drill bit ½-inch to 1-inch
- Drill bit 3/16-inch
- Drill bit 1/8 inch
- Jigsaw
- Marking pen
- Phillips screw driver
- Pocket knife
- Work-bench
- Extension cord
- Safety glasses
SUPPLIES:
Plastic drum (55 gal. is best). Barrels that have carried food products are recommended. Some cleaning product barrels are OK after rinsing. Do NOT use petroleum or toxic chemical barrels.
The following are all PVC fittings:
- Two-inch male adapter
- Two-inch male slip x 3/4-inch female threaded adapter
- 3/4-inch male threaded x 3/4-inch female threaded elbow (3/4 inch street el)
- Four inch long 3/4-inch threaded nipple
The following can be either metal or plastic:
- 3/4-inch female sillcock or hose bibb
- PVC cement
- Teflon™ tape or Teflon™ pipe joint compound
- Silicone sealant
- Three stainless steel sheet metal screws #10 x 3/4 inch
- Stainless steel mesh with plastic rim kitchen strainer (4 to 6 inch diameter)
ASSEMBLY:
- Turn the barrel so that the end with no openings is facing up.
- Fit the strainer on the end which is facing up so that it lays flat.
- Mark around the perimeter of the strainer, remove strainer and draw another line about ½ inch inside the perimeter line.
- Drill a pilot hole using the large bit just inside the inner drawn circle.
- Using the saber saw follow the inner circle line until the circle is removed. Remove the circle if it has fallen into the barrel. This is a good time to make sure the barrel is clean inside.
- Drill pilot holes in the strainer flanges and handle using the 3/16-inch bit. Place the strainer on the barrel and mark the hole locations on the barrel.
- Drill pilot holes in the barrel using the 1/8-inch bit.
- Partially screw into the strainer the #10 screws. Check to make sure the strainer holes match the barrel holes.
- Apply silicone sealant to the strainer rim and place the strainer into position. Tighten screws until just snug. (Pat yourself on the back, you have just completed the first part of the barrel).
- Place the barrel on its side. Unscrew one of the plastic filler plugs in the other end of the barrel.
- Apply PVC cement to the two-inch male adapter sleeve and place the two-inch male x 3/4-inch female threaded adapter inside and press together for a few seconds.
- Insert street el into the 3/4-inch hole of the adapter. Use teflon tape or sealant on all threaded parts
- Insert 4 inch nipple into street el
- Screw assembly into barrel. Four-inch nipple will work as a wrench to tighten first two fittings.
- Connect water faucet to 4-inch nipple. Hand-tighten to proper position.
- Place barrel on level, sturdy base. Direct downspout over the strainer. (Hooray, you now have a functioning rain barrel).
Here are some more helpful hints from UF: http://miami-dade.ifas.ufl.edu/
Contact Sebastian Eilert about your green project of any size (Sebastian@SebastianEilert.com 786.556.3118)
Filed under: Building knowledge, Construction and Permits, Energy Efficiency, Landscaping, Sustainable Living, Water Efficiency
Final post about tips to improve your home and make it a more green building; for your health, for your wallet and for your overall well being…
Part I will focus on small to no budget items (please see previous post)
Part II will look at medium expenses or items to look at if they break and need (NEED!) replacement
Part III will look at the big changes that will have a lasting impact on your life 9from a green building perspective, but who knows, maybe more…)
Part III. What really works:
Lighting. After changing the light bulbs and also some of the fixtures and installing dimmers, the next big step is to consider a building automation system. This low voltage system can connect all your lighting, temperature control, audio and video systems, including alarms and smart appliances. You can than control these devices much more precise and even get remote access (smart phones already gear up for these features). BY monitoring the output of the building automation system you can optimize power uses and fine tune any waste generated by lights left on or appliances not needed. These systems generally also have a vacation setting, enabling a quick way to trim all the power use you do not need on a daily basis when not in your home. Great feature but a bit expensive. These systems start around $5000 for a small home with limited low voltage tie ins.
Air Conditioning. The general rule is to look at a unit when it is 10 years or older. Typically systems have advanced in efficiency and the payback to upgrade can be realized in 4-6 years. Look for the SEER value. This is the indicator of how efficient the unit is. Current code required a 13 SEER unit; a 16 or 17 SEER unit is considered high efficiency and 18+ SEER is very high efficiency. The later are a choice investment and should be evaluated for Life Cycle Cost and Return of Investment. (THIS OPTION WILL REQUIRE A PERMIT)
Remember to upkeep the correct filters and also clean the ducts, if you do not replace them.
Super Therm
Roof / Shell: you already looked at your windows and doors and have sealed all leakage. The next step is to invest in the buildings shell. The big collector in South Florida is the roof. Over 80% of heat gain to the house will come from above with our year round sunshine. Do not just consider Hurricane issue but go beyond and think about the energy savings from this large surface. All roofs in Miami Dade County are required to withstand Hurricane strength winds, by code, so any roof will comply with this general concern. Move away from the low budget option of asphalt tile and a great value are metal roofs. These reflect well and are sturdy. This will overall be my recommendation for it is safe and efficient. (THIS OPTION WILL REQUIRE A PERMIT)
You can also consider sealing the existing or new roof with a high SRI (Solar Reflectance Index) coating, such as SuperTherm. I had applied this system over my existing asphalt shingle roof and lowered my attic temperate from over 140 degrees to about 85 during last summer. Great savings translating to your energy bill. A product like Super Therm runs about $2.60 per square foot installed.
If you like to kick it up one more notch, consider adding photovoltaic panels to your roof. A 5kW system will cost about $50,000 initially, but there are rebates and tax credits available lowering the out of pocket cost to potentially less than $15,000; not a bad number, especially when you considering adding this system instead of a generator (and you are sure not to run out gas, should the need arise). The installation of such a system will also require connection to your electrical system and requires assistance of professional services. (THIS OPTION WILL REQUIRE A PERMIT)
In regard to landscaping and water savings, the big ticket item is a cistern. After installing gutters and properly channeling your rain water run off, collecting hits precious water as well some of the waste water already generated to reduce the amount of potable (drinkable) water used ion your home is the final frontier. These tanks are similar to septic tanks in size and can be installed above or below ground.
Currently you can use this water for irrigation, in the future, legislation will adapt to also use reclaimed and collected water for toilet flushing.
For specific help, contact Sebastian Eilert to get a custom plan to green your home.
Sebastian@SebastianEilert.com 786.556.3118
www.SebastianEilert.com
Filed under: Landscaping, Water Efficiency | Tags: Water. Irrigation. Sebastian Eilert Architecture
Irrigation must be the next important issue to talk about in regard to landscaping, and this goes beyond just proper landscape selection and planting techniques but also crosses into water savings. In South Florida irrigation accounts for almost 70% of residential water use. This is a very high number and is not necessary to be that high. Look at Landscaping 101 for proper plant selection and watch out for upcoming plant tips.
Install gutters to start. This should be a basic feature of each house, but the building code does not require them….so request them from your design professional and builder or retrofit them if applicable.
Once installed, channel the water and make it work for you. Rain gardens are a great way to have some more intense landscaping. You can create a natural pond and have it overflow into a gravel bed or other water managing feature.
If possible, collect the water. Rain barrels are cheap and there are many affordable options (http://www.greatamericanrainbarrel.com/). You can of course also create your own with any size barrel, a hose bib and some wire mesh as a filer. Here is a good YouTube clip for a how to build your own (the 40% do apply to the rest of the nation, we are closer to the noted 70%): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGFDlkJOdaM .
Filed under: Water Efficiency | Tags: Dual Flush, faucet, Green Building, Miami, Miami Green Building, Sebastian Eilert, Sebastian Eilert Architecture, Sustainable Architecture, Toilet, Water, Water Savings
To setup your home to save water by design the following are easy upgrades.
Change your toilet to a dual flush system. What is dual flush? In essence you have two buttons to use the appropriate amount of water based on liquid or solid waste. We use significantly more liquid waste and the “half flush” reduces the water used by about 40%. This setup will reduce the amount of water you use for flushing by 40% overall. My favorite brand of dual flush is Caroma (www.CaromaUSA.com) but there are others that do the trick as well. I recommend Caroma, because they also use a different trap system that reduces the possibility of clogging.
Dual Flush Buttons
If your fixture is still in good shape or you cannot spend the money on a new system, consider a retrofit kit, such as Eco Flush (www.EcoFlushToilet.com ). They range from $50 to about $80. This is the system I have installed in my house and is working very well. It takes a mere 20 minutes to switch out the old for the new and the savings will last… (it is also a great conversation starter and educator for visitors).
The other quick fix is to replace your showerhead. I have installed 2 different ones on my house and like the head that Kohler is providing (http://www.us.kohler.com/savewater/products/residential/showerheads.htm ). It will reduce flow rate of water passing through, thus saving water every shower. If you like a higher end product, look at HansGrohe (http://www.hansgrohe-usa.com/cps/rde/xbcr//SID-3F57E8CC-B64043AF/us_en/publications/US/hg_cromaecoair_press.pdf ).
For fixtures, look for the Water Sense logo to easily identify water waving options when purchasing your new faucet of showerhead. This program by the EPA works similar like the Energy Star program.
EPA Water Sense logo
Contact me with any questions or comments.
Filed under: Water Efficiency
Driving to the office this morning, the radio dial fell back to NPR. A short story about the draught in California was on and I could not help to remember some of the conversations I had of recent.
With all the focus an energy savings issue and in particular the reduction on dependency on fossil fuel, the real issue to me comes back to the management of water. The days of considering the bottling of spring water for profit as a ridiculous endeavor are long gone and even basic water conservation has become part of everyday life, certainly in South Florida.
So it is fuel, not water that we need for survival of the species. With the rollercoaster ride of the price of a barrel of crude oil and the obvious implications on continuous reliance on this outdated source for fuel and energy, alternative energy sources are being developed at an increasing pace and we all should see a substantial number of them taking over the production of our daily convenience.
Water use should be at the forefront of our conservation and preservation efforts. Energy use and construction as well as innovation of alternatives are progressing fast. The change is near. The same cannot be stated for water. It is time again for a revolution, the Water revolution.
The United States, generally being behind in a global effort when it comes to elements that do not have in immediate instant gratification or monetary gain, have also recognized this trend.
The EPA just about a year ago launched their Water Sense program to bring awareness to all. Following the success of the Energy Star program, Water Sense will enable the consumer to make intelligent water savings decisions. It then just remains to the same consumer to implement them…
The next area of focus than is a general attitude adjustment. Landscaping remain the largest area of water use for residential applications, this was pointed out again in the program this morning, and is a know fact for anyone working in the South Florida residential market. “Traditional” lawn design uses about 70% of the monthly water bill… quite hefty. Change your design, change your perception and preserve water. And did I mention that you also no longer need the fossil fuel powered machinery to cut and maintain the grass?? In a recent show of hands in my class, all but two students clearly preferred the aesthetics of a Xeriscaped home versus and “lawn with two palm trees” design. Good news for our generation. The next one clearly gets it.
It remain interesting to me that the all so popular USGBC LEED guide has no prerequisite in its Water Efficiency category. This is certainly an area that can improve, and must improve.
As the only species that adapts the environment faster than we could adapt to it, the question than becomes;
May the future hold a water war scenario such as idealistic films, like Mad Max? chasing and killing for a sip of pure H2O? Or will it be the Waterworld set up that will be in store for us, a flooded planet ruined by the disrespect that we exhibit as a species. Either way, the US has to learn.
We all have to learn. NOW!
